Multi-functional can

ABSTRACT

A multi-functional cane including a handle member, a rod member coupled with the handle member, and a multi-functional circuit system distributed in the cane is provided. The multi-functional circuit system includes an alarm device, an illumination device, an expel device, a power unit, and a control unit. The power unit provides a driving power required by the devices. The control unit includes a control terminal part disposed on the handle member to operate the devices of the multi-functional circuit system. The multi-functional cane further includes a wireless communication device, a positioning device, or a Mayday device according to actual requirements. Moreover, the handle member or the rod member further has a storage space for storing an article.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan applicationserial no. 95135351, filed on Sep. 25, 2006. All disclosure of theTaiwan application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a cane, and more particularly, to amulti-functional cane.

2. Description of Related Art

The cane is an effective and convenient tool for walkers. For example,the cane helps to ensure the safety of climbers or people walking in thecountryside. Furthermore, the cane is an important tool for people whohave trouble in walking.

Conventionally, the cane is designed to be a mechanical structure, whichfocuses on helping people move around, without multi-functionalapplications.

For example, if a climber is attacked by an animal on the mountain, theclimber can only swing the conventional mechanical cane, which merelyprovides some basic defense. If a climber is caught in a mountaindisaster, the conventional cane cannot provide the Mayday function.Similarly, for a person who has trouble in walking, the conventionalmechanical cane only helps him move around, but does not provide thefunction of asking for help.

Therefore, the conventional cane merely focuses on providing mechanicalsupport, which is limited in terms of function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to providing a multi-functional cane,which considers various safety requirements, effectively improves theeffect of the cane, and thus providing the safety and first aid effectsconveniently and effectively. Furthermore, the multi-functional caneprovides the remote Mayday function.

The present invention provides a multi-functional cane, which comprisesa handle member, a rod member coupled to the handle member, and amulti-functional circuit system disposed in the handle member, or therod member, or distributed in both the handle member and the rod member.The multi-functional circuit system includes an alarm device and anexpel device.

The multi-functional cane of the present invention combines a pluralityof safety functions, which at least provides better protection for theuser when being used. In addition, the multi-functional cane uses thewireless communication device to seek for remote help when necessary,thus effectively reducing the injury of the user. Moreover, the cane isconvenient for the user to carry along and use, and causes noinconvenience.

In order to make the aforementioned and other objects, features andadvantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodimentsaccompanied with figures are described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a multi-functional cane according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2-5 are schematic stereograms of a structure of a handle member102 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic stereogram of a multi-functional cane according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of the circuit of a control unitaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The cane is an important tool for people who has trouble in walking orfor climbers, and it is also a tool for walkers in rural and countryareas. Generally, safety is considered when the cane is selected to beused. Usually, for example, the user can swing the cane to expeldangerous animals or even persons who attack the user.

However, the conventional cane is designed to have basic functions only,without considering the safety requirements effectively. At least basedupon the above point, the present invention provides the design of amulti-functional cane. Several embodiments are given below to illustratethe present invention. However, the present invention is not limited tothe embodiments given below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a multi-functional cane according toan embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, themulti-functional cane 100 of this embodiment includes a handle member102, a rod member 104, and a multi-functional circuit system. Themulti-functional circuit system includes a plurality of devices withdifferent functions that are distributed in the rod member 104 and thehandle member 102, and the rod member 104 is coupled with the handlemember 102 to form a mechanical structure of the cane 100.

The multi-functional circuit system includes, for example, an alarmdevice 108, an illumination device 112, an expel device 106, a powerunit 110, and a control unit 102 a. The power unit 110 provides adriving power required by the devices. As shown in the figure, thecontrol unit 102 a includes a control terminal part disposed on thehandle member 102, so as to operate the plurality of devices of themulti-functional circuit system.

The control unit 102 a includes inner circuits (not shown in FIG. 1),and the control terminal part is disposed, for example, on the handlemember 102, and includes, for example, a display element 102 b todisplay operation states of corresponding devices. The actual circuit ofthe control unit 102 a is shown in the block diagram of FIG. 7. However,the circuit design of FIG. 7 is not the only choice, which can bemodified depending upon actual requirements. The above devices withvarious functions are disposed, for example, within a plurality of innerspaces in the integrated structure formed by the rod member 104 and thehandle member 102, and they are distributed properly.

For example, the illumination device 112 is designed to be close to theground when it is used to illuminate the roads. The illumination device112 is, for example, an LED light source. Moreover, for example, thealarm device 108 or the expel device 106 is suitable for sending alarmsor expelling dangerous animals respectively, so that the two devices aredesigned to be disposed at the upper end of the rod member 104. Theexpel device 106 is, for example, an ultrasonic expel device used toexpel animals such as wild dogs. Therefore, the expel device 106 can bedisposed at the upper end of the rod member 104, for example, at the tipportion of the rod member 104. To facilitate controlling the devices,the control terminal of the control unit 102 a is disposed on the handlemember 102. In other words, various functional devices may be properlydisposed on any appropriate position of the cane 100. The expel device106 is, for example, used to expel any dangerous animal. As the acousticfrequency of animals is different from that of human beings, thegenerated ultrasonic waves can expel, for example, dogs, or even snakesor bees, etc. Moreover, for example, the main function of the alarmdevice 108 is to send out sounds, for example, an alarm sound for help,or further send out an alarm sound to expel hostile people. In otherwords, the alarm device 108 is used to provide alarm signals of sounds.

In addition, for example, when the user is lost in countryside or in amountain, and needs to seek for external help, the conventional canecannot provide the function of contacting the exterior. However, themulti-functional circuit system of the cane of the present inventionfurther includes a wireless device 102 c, which is, for example, awireless communication device. The user of the cane can contact theexterior at any time via the wireless communication device 102 c. Nomatter the user himself/herself or people, things, or objects around theuser need help, the multi-functional cane can be used to contact theexterior.

Moreover, the multi-functional circuit system of the cane furtherincludes a positioning device 118 used to obtain a local positioninformation. The positioning device 118 is, for example, a receiver ofGlobal Positioning System (GPS), so as to obtain the local positioninformation that can be sent out via the wireless communication device102 c when necessary. Moreover, the multi-functional circuit system ofthe cane further includes a Mayday device 120, for example, to send outa Mayday signal via the wireless communication device 102 c. Inparticular, when the user of the cane is injured, and cannot communicatewith the exterior by voice, the Mayday device 120 can send out a Maydaysignal, and the positioning device 118 can inform the exterior about theuser's local position.

The wireless communication device 102 c includes, for example, a voicedevice that forms an integrated structure with the handle member 102.The voice device includes, for example, a microphone and a speaker,etc., so as to communicate with the exterior via voice. If the user isstill able to speak, the user can also seek for external help by voice.

Moreover, any one or both of the handle member 102 and the rod member104 of the cane 100 have a storage space 114 for storing an article. Thestorage space 114 is, for example, used for storing the object 116 takenalong by the user, for example, first aid medicine.

The alarm device 108 of the cane 100 includes, for example, a soundalarm device and/or a light alarm device, which is not only simply usedfor expelling dangerous animals, but also used for sending local Maydaysignals and so on.

The control terminal part of the control unit 102 a of the cane 100includes a plurality of control keys disposed on the handle member 102to facilitate controlling operations. The control keys also can bedesigned as a single selecting control key to save space. For such aselecting control key, for example, the device to be controlled isselected by rotating or pressing the key, and the start, stop, or otheroperations are achieved by pressing the key. Various methods can be usedto achieve the design of the selecting control key, which are notlimited to that described above.

The structure of the handle member 102 also has various designs so as tofacilitate operating the devices of the cane 100. The structure of thehandle member 102 is roughly classified into an opened handle structureor an enclosed handle structure. FIGS. 2-5 show several embodiments ofdesigns of the handle member 102 of the present invention. Variations inthe designs can be directly known from FIGS. 2-5. However, the structureof the handle member 102 of the present invention is not limited tothese embodiments. Furthermore, the positions where various devices arearranged also can be different. For example, an appropriate device canbe disposed at position 122 in FIG. 5.

It should be noted that, for example, at least a part of theaforementioned functional devices is disposed within the inner space ofthe handle member 102 and/or the rod member 104 of the cane 100, whichat least saves the space. However, such arrangement is not the onlychoice.

Moreover, FIG. 6 is a schematic stereogram of a multi-functional caneaccording to another embodiment of the present invention. Theaforementioned functional devices can be further arranged in anotherway. The shape of the handle member 800 can be designed properlyaccording to the operating modes. The control keys are arranged on thehandle member 800, and the actual circuits are, for example, arranged inthe rod member 802. Certainly, the above arrangement is also a variationin the design.

Furthermore, according to the aforementioned variations in the design ofthe present invention, the handle member 800 and the rod member 802, forexample, separately or integrally include an anti-shock device, awarning device, a hook, a length adjusting element, atalking/broadcasting device, a radio device, a mobile phone as at leasta part of the handle member, a music playing device, and/or a automaticelectric generator according to actual requirements. The radio deviceincludes a volume adjusting unit and a channel searching unit, and has,for example, the FM/AM functions, or is used to receive digitalbroadcastings. The anti-shock device is, for example, disposed at thecontact end of the cane. The warning device is, for example, an LEDlight source 804 for warning people or vehicles behind. The lengthadjusting element is used to adjust the length. The hook, for example,hangs at a certain position on the cane, which is used to hook somethingout of reach. The music playing device is, for example, an MP3 player.

Moreover, the wireless device includes, for example, a wireless mobilephone, a WiFi element, and/or a ZigBee element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the functionaldevices disposed on the cane include, for example, mechanical,electronic, and electromechanical elements and the like, which aredistributed or separately disposed on the handle member and/or the rodmember depending upon actual requirements. The above descriptions arevariations in the arrangement that is appreciable according to theembodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention isnot limited to the above embodiments.

The control circuit in the cane, for example, is shown in FIG. 7.Referring to FIG. 7, a power supply 160 provides the power required byvarious functional circuits. For example, a beeper circuit 164 isstarted by pressing an alarm button 162. For example, an ultrasoniccircuit 168 is started by pressing an expeller button 166, so as togenerate the ultrasonic waves for expelling animals. A microprocessor ora microcontroller (MCU) 170 further controls and processes the connectedrelevant functional devices, e.g., a white LED circuit 172, an indicatorcircuit 174, and a RF circuit 176, etc. At the same time, the RF circuit176 also can be controlled upon receiving an input from a panel controlunit 178 or a line control unit 180.

It should be noted that, the aforementioned circuit structure is only anembodiment, and the actual circuit can be adjusted and modifiedaccording to the actual design of the cane 100. The circuit design canbe modified correspondingly, as long as the desired functions areachieved. The present invention is not limited to a specific circuitdesign.

In the multi-functional cane according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the multi-functional circuit system can comprise a wirelesscommunication device.

In the multi-functional cane according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the multi-functional circuit system can comprise apositioning device. The positioning device is used to obtain a localposition information, which is sent out via the wireless communicationdevice when necessary.

In the multi-functional cane according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the multi-functional circuit system can comprise a Maydaydevice, which sends out a Mayday signal via the wireless communicationdevice.

In the multi-functional cane according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the wireless communication device can comprise a voice devicethat forms an integrated structure with the handle member, wherein thevoice device is used for communicating with the exterior, or seeks forexternal help by voice.

In the multi-functional cane according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the handle member or the rod member may have anarticle-storage space.

To sum up, the present invention integrates the multi-functional cane100 through the design of the handle member and the rod member, and theuser can modify the design appropriately according to local conditions.Moreover, for example, when the user needs to seek for help, the presentinvention effectively achieves the function of seeking for help.Therefore, as for the overall design of the cane in the presentinvention, the cane of the present invention has multi-functionaldevices on the basis of the structure of the cane 100. Thus, the cane ofthe present invention at least effectively enhances the safety functionof the cane.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the structure of the presentinvention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present inventioncover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fallwithin the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multi-functional cane, comprising: a handlemember; a rod member, coupled with the handle member; and amulti-functional circuit system, disposed in the handle member or therod member, or distributed in both the handle member and the rod member,and including an alarm device and an expel device.
 2. Themulti-functional cane as claimed in claim 1, wherein themulti-functional circuit system further comprises a wirelesscommunication device.
 3. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim2, wherein the multi-functional circuit system further comprises apositioning device used to obtain a local position information, and thelocal position information is sent out via the wireless communicationdevice when necessary.
 4. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim2, wherein the multi-functional circuit system further comprises aMayday device for sending out a Mayday signal via the wirelesscommunication device.
 5. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim2, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a voice devicethat forms an integrated structure with the handle member, and the voicedevice is used for communicating with the exterior, or seeks forexternal help by voice.
 6. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim1, wherein the handle member or the rod member comprises a storagespace.
 7. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim 6, wherein thestorage space stores first aid medicine.
 8. The multi-functional cane asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the alarm device comprises at least one of asound alarm device and a light alarm device.
 9. The multi-functionalcane as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-functional circuit systemfurther comprises an illumination device.
 10. The multi-functional caneas claimed in claim 1, wherein the expel device comprises an ultrasonicexpel device for expelling animals.
 11. The multi-functional cane asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the expel device comprises an ultrasonicexpel device for expelling dogs.
 12. The multi-functional cane asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-functional circuit system furthercomprises a control unit having a control terminal part that includes aplurality of control keys and is disposed on the handle member.
 13. Themulti-functional cane as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle membercomprises an opened handle structure or an enclosed handle structure.14. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rodmember has a plurality of inner spaces to arrange the devices.
 15. Themulti-functional cane as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alarm devicesends a Mayday signal.
 16. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim1, wherein the alarm device sends an expel signal to at least expeldangerous animals around.
 17. The multi-functional cane as claimed inclaim 1, further comprising a power unit, a radio device, or/and acontrol unit, wherein the power unit provides a required driving power,and the control unit has a control terminal part disposed on the handlemember to operate the devices of the multi-functional circuit system.18. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim 1, further comprisingan anti-shock device, a warning device, a hook, a length adjustingelement, a talking/broadcasting functional element, a mobile phone as apart of the handle member, a music playing device, and/or an automaticelectric generator.
 19. A multi-functional cane, comprising: a handlemember; a rod member, mechanically coupled with the handle member toform a cane; and a multi-functional circuit system, distributed in thehandle member and/or the rod member, and including a wireless device anda storage space.
 20. The multi-functional cane as claimed in claim 19,wherein the wireless device comprises a wireless communication device, awireless mobile phone, a WiFi element, and/or a ZigBee element.
 21. Themulti-functional cane as claimed in claim 19, further comprising analarm device, a warning device, an illumination device, a radio device,an expel device, a positioning device, a power unit, and/or a controlunit, wherein the power unit provides a driving power required by thedevices, and the control unit has a control terminal part disposed onthe handle member to operate the devices of the multi-functional circuitsystem.